It's surely no coincidence that Lorde's UK debut single 'Royals' topped the charts across the globe shortly after Miley Cyrus's 'Wrecking Ball'. "We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair," she sings, essentially sneering at the salacious exploits of her pop peers just as they reach a new low (or high?) and the bulk of what's been played on mainstream radio over the past few years.

It's refreshing, but beyond that, the New Zealand 16-year-old (real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) has the essence of a pro on her debut effort. In major label development since the age of 12, the niggling hooks and fiddly structure of 'Royals' make it just one of several tracks here that sound more accomplished than anything you'd expect from a debut whose subject revolves around the trials and tribulations of teenagerdom in 2013.

It's a familiar topic, but Lorde tackles it with insightful (occasionally ambiguous) lyrics and abrupt honesty, having self-penned the entire LP. "I've never felt more alone/ It's so scary getting old," she confesses over wistful synths and gentle pulsing thuds on 'Ribs', a song about an awkwardly blossoming romnce. Similarly, 'Tennis Court' finds her caught between fame and a more innocent time, confessing: "My head's filling up fast with wicked games/ How can I f**k with fun again when I'm known?"

She delivers each song with a low and often menacing growl that compliments the sparse yet compelling post-hip-hop production, which she had a significant hand in. 'Buzzcut Season' hears her longing over light percussive snaps and trickling xylophone that steadily blossom towards a tropical finale, while closer 'A World Alone' is essentially Lorde doing Robyn's 'Dancing On My Own', which is no bad thing. The result is a startlingly confident debut that, with a few tweaks, has the potential to set her up as the next global superstar.